Eli Hanneman is carried off the beach after winning the U.S. Open of Surfing on Sunday at Huntington Beach, Calif. With the win, Hanneman vaulted to No. 4 in the WSL Challenger Series standings with two events left. World Surf League / Kenny Morris photos
Sunday was a momentous day in the career of Maui surfer Eli Hanneman.
The 20-year-old from Lahaina won the Wallex U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach, Calif., stop No. 4 on the World Surf League Challenger Series.
It’s the second WSL win for Hanneman, to go along with his victory at the Priority Destinations Pro, a Qualifying Series 1,000 event at Ala Moana Bowls last summer.
After a rough start to the 2023 Challenger Series, Sunday’s statement victory vaulted Hanneman to No. 4 in the CS rankings, making him a serious Championship Tour qualification contender.
Hanneman soars during his semifinal victory over Kanoa Igarashi on Sunday.
Hanneman beat Southern California’s Crosby Colapinto in the final. Hanneman took to the air and completed a combination of major maneuvers that earned him a near-perfect 9.00, the highest score of the day.
The Maui phenom then added another solid score of 6.83 to put pressure on Colapinto. Heading into the final minutes, Hanneman soared in the air once again and posted an 8.10 to his score line, shutting down any hopes of a comeback by Colapinto.
“This means everything,” Hanneman was quoted as saying in a WSL news release. “You work so hard every single day, and for it to finally pay off is just crazy. It just took a little bit of trust in God. I don’t even know how I got that 9.00.
“I know Crosby is so good on the face, he’s the best of our generation for on-the-face surfing, so I went out thinking I have to do airs because that’s what I do. I felt a little bit of wind coming and knew it was my time. I just had to stay calm and stay ready.”
Colapinto’s two-wave total of 9.60 was no match for Hanneman’s 17.10. Earlier in the day, Hanneman took out Huntington Beach’s own Kanoa Igarashi in the semifinals, 13.13 to 11.10.
Fellow Mauian Imaikalani deVault came into event No. 4 in the CS standings and is now No. 6 after finishing equal-25th at this event. The top 10 at end of the six-stop CS qualify for next year’s Championship Tour.
The final two CS events are the EDP Vissla Pro Ericeira in Portugal, Oct. 1-8, and the Corona Saquarema Pro in Brazil, Oct. 14-21.
California’s Sawyer Lindblad took the U.S. Open women’s title Sunday, while cousins Kelis Kaleopa’a and Kaniela Stewart of Oahu swept the longboard titles.
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